Dexter's Laboratory

''Dexter's Laboratory'' is an American animated television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky for Cartoon Network. The series follows Dexter, an enthusiastic boy-genius with a science laboratory in his bedroom, which he keeps secret from his unsuspecting parents. Dexter is at constant odds with his older and more extraverted sister Dee Dee, who regularly accesses the laboratory and inadvertently foils his experiments. Mandark, a nefarious boy-genius classmate who lives next-door to Dexter, attempts to undermine him at every opportunity. Prominently featured in the first and second seasons are other segments focusing on superhero-based characters Monkey, Dexter's pet lab-monkey with a superhero alter ego, and the Justice Friends, a trio of superheroes who share an apartment.

Tartakovsky pitched the series to Fred Seibert's animated shorts showcase '' What a Cartoon!'' at Hanna-Barbera, basing it on student films he produced at the California Institute of the Arts. Four pilots aired on Cartoon Network and TNT from 1995 to 1996. Viewer approval ratings led to a half-hour series, which consisted of two seasons totaling 52 episodes, airing from April 27, 1996, to June 15, 1998. ''Dexter's Laboratory'' was the first original series for the channel under the Cartoon Cartoons moniker. On December 10, 1999, a television film titled '' Dexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip'' aired as the intended series finale, after which Tartakovsky focused his work on another series for Cartoon Network, '' Samurai Jack''.

In November 2000, the series was renewed for two seasons, which began airing on November 18, 2001. Due to Tartakovsky's departure, Chris Savino served as showrunner, and a new team at Cartoon Network Studios produced the series. After 26 episodes, the fourth season concluded on November 20, 2003, ending the series.

''Dexter's Laboratory'', particularly its first two seasons, received critical acclaim and became one of Cartoon Network's most successful original series. It won three Annie Awards, with nominations for four Primetime Emmy Awards, four Golden Reel Awards, and nine other Annie Awards. Animators Craig McCracken, Seth MacFarlane, Butch Hartman, Paul Rudish, and Rob Renzetti worked on the series and later achieved further success in their careers in animation. Spin-off media include children's books, comic books, DVD and VHS releases, music albums, toys, and video games.

Premise

Characters

Dexter (voiced by Christine Cavanaugh in seasons 1–3; Candi Milo in seasons 3–4) is a bespectacled boy-genius who, behind a bookcase in his bedroom, conceals a secret laboratory, which can be accessed by spoken passwords or hidden switches on his bookshelf. Though highly intelligent, Dexter often fails to achieve his goals when he becomes overexcited and careless. Tartakovsky described Dexter as "a good kid. He's very ambitious. And he's very frustrated that everyone isn't as smart as him." Although he comes from a typical American family, Dexter speaks with an accent of indeterminate origin. Christine Cavanaugh described it as "an affectation, kind of accent, we're not quite sure. A small Peter Lorre, but not. Perhaps he's Latino, perhaps he's French. He's a scientist; he knows he needs kind of accent." Genndy Tartakovsky explained, "he's a scientist. All scientists are foreign and have accents...It's not really a German accent. It's just Eastern European." Tartakovsky later declared Cavanaugh's input for Dexter to be irreplaceable as he acknowledged her legacy.

Dexter conceals his lab from his clueless parents, addressed only as Mom (voiced by Kath Soucie) and Dad (voiced by Jeff Bennett), who Tartakovsky described as simplified stereotypes of "ideal parents". His hyperactive, carefree, older sister Dee Dee (voiced by Allison Moore in seasons 1 and 3 and by Kat Cressida in seasons 2 and 4) delights in playing haphazardly in the laboratory, wreaking havoc with Dexter's inventions. Though seemingly dim-witted, Dee Dee, a talented ballet dancer, often outsmarts her brother and even provides him helpful advice. According to Tartakovsky, "Dee Dee is the life, she's the spirit, everything is fun. There's no hardship in life." When Tartakovsky was asked whether he and his brother Alex had a similar sibling relationship, he stated, "There's a little bit of Dee Dee and Dexter in that. He has science and he doesn't want Dee Dee in his lab. My brother is Dexter. I'm Dee Dee."

Dexter's nemesis is rival classmate Mandark Astronomonov (voiced by Eddie Deezen). Like Dexter, Mandark is a boy genius with his own laboratory, but his schemes are generally evil and designed to gain power or downplay or destroy Dexter's accomplishments. In revival seasons, Mandark becomes significantly more evil, becoming Dexter's enemy rather than his rival, and Mandark's laboratory changes from brightly lit with rounded features to gothic-looking, industrial, and angular. Mandark's unrequited love for Dee Dee is shown as a pivotal weakness, notably near the end of the '' Ego Trip'' television film.

Recurring segments

Every ''Dexter's Laboratory'' episode, with the exception of "Last But Not Beast", is divided into different stories or segments, each being 7–12 minutes long. Occasionally, a segment centers on characters other than Dexter and his family. Two segments are shown primarily during season 1: ''Dial M for Monkey'' and ''The Justice Friends''. ''Dial M for Monkey'' is the middle segment for six episodes of season 1, and ''The Justice Friends'' takes its place until season 1's end. With rare exception, extra segments do not appear after season 1. Other recurring characters include Puppet Pal Mitch (voiced by Rob Paulsen) and Puppet Pal Clem (voiced by Tom Kenny).

''Dial M for Monkey''

''Dial M for Monkey'' follows Monkey (vocal effects provided by Frank Welker), Dexter's pet laboratory monkey who is secretly a crime-fighting superhero. Monkey's superpowers include super-strength, telekinesis, flight, and super speed. He is joined by his partner Agent Honeydew (voiced by Kath Soucie), Commander General (voiced by Robert Ridgely in season 1, Earl Boen in season 2), and a team of assembled superheroes. ''Dial M for Monkey'' was created by Genndy Tartakovsky, Craig McCracken, and Paul Rudish.

''The Justice Friends''

''The Justice Friends'' follows Major Glory (voiced by Rob Paulsen), Valhallen (voiced by Tom Kenny), and the Infraggable Krunk (voiced by Frank Welker), a trio of superhero roommates residing in an apartment called Muscular Arms. Their adventures deal less with superhero life and more with an inability to agree with each other; it is presented much like a sitcom, including a laugh track. Genndy Tartakovsky's inspiration for ''The Justice Friends'' came from reading Marvel Comics while learning how to speak English. In a 2001 ''IGN'' interview, Tartakovsky expressed disappointment with how ''The Justice Friends'' turned out, saying, "it could have been funnier and the characters could have been fleshed out more."

Production

Background

Genndy Tartakovsky, the creator of ''Dexter's Laboratory'', was born in Moscow, where his father, a dentist, served in the government of the Soviet Union. Although relatively wealthy and well-connected, his family feared racial persecution due to their Jewish heritage and moved from Russia to Chicago when Tartakovsky was seven. Along with his older brother, Alex, Tartakovsky learned English by watching cartoons and taught himself how to draw as a child by copying comic books.

Tartakovsky initially went to Columbia College Chicago to study advertising and took an animation class as an elective. After he transferred to the California Institute of the Arts in 1990 to study animation full-time, Tartakovsky wrote, directed, animated, and produced two student short films, one of which was a precursor to ''Dexter's Laboratory'''s television pilot, "Changes". A two-and-a-half-minute pencil test, this short film was included in a university screening for the producers of '' Batman: The Animated Series'', who were impressed and hired Tartakovsky to move to Spain to work on ''Batman'' at a studio in Madrid.

After ''Batman'', Tartakovsky moved back to California to work for Hanna-Barbera on the production team of '' 2 Stupid Dogs''. His co-workers on that series, Craig McCracken, Rob Renzetti, and Paul Rudish, had been classmates of his at Cal Arts and went on to collaborate with him on ''Dexter's Laboratory''. Tartakovsky's last job before developing ''Dexter's Laboratory'' into a television series was to serve as a sheet timer on ''The Critic''. During his time on that series, Tartakovsky received a phone call from Larry Huber, who had been a producer on ''2 Stupid Dogs''. Huber had shown Tartakovsky's unfinished student film to a then-nascent Cartoon Network and wanted Tartakovsky to develop the concept into a seven-minute storyboard.

Development

Unhappy with his position on ''The Critic'', Tartakovsky accepted Huber's proposal, and the resulting project, "Changes", was produced as part of Cartoon Network's animation showcase series, '' World Premiere Toons'', debuting on February 26, 1995. Viewers worldwide voted through phone lines, websites, focus groups, and consumer promotions for their favorite short cartoons; ''Dexter's Laboratory'' was the first of 16 to earn that vote of approval. Mike Lazzo, then-head of programming for Cartoon Network, said in 1996 that it was his favorite of the 48 shorts that had been produced by that point, commenting that he and colleagues "loved the humor in the brother-versus-sister relationship".

Even after "Changes" premiered, Tartakovsky had no expectations that it would lead to an entire series. In 2018, he noted that his generation was the first in which people could become showrunners at a young age, saying, "Everybody before us were in their forties, at least, and so ur generation's experiencewas a very different way to do something where we had no clue what we were doing and we were just trying to make each other laugh." When ''Dexter's Laboratory'' received a series greenlight, Tartakovsky became, at age twenty-seven, one of the youngest animation directors of that era. Speaking with the ''Los Angeles Times'' in 2002, Tartakovsky remarked about the network, "With Cartoon Network, they were looking for more undiscovered talent, people that may have had a hard time getting in. ..t became a great opportunity to do something. And as I got into it, I realized that they were also offering the creative freedom. They were letting the creators make the shows."

In August 1995, Turner ordered six half-hour episodes of ''Dexter's Laboratory'', which included two cartoons of one spin-off segment titled ''Dial M for Monkey''. In addition to Tartakovsky, McCracken, Renzetti, and Rudish, directors and writers on ''Dexter's Laboratory'' included Seth MacFarlane, Butch Hartman, John McIntyre, Robert Alvarez, and Chris Savino. McCracken served as an art director on the series. Perlmutter described McCracken's role on ''Dexter's Laboratory'' as that of Tartakovsky's "effective second-in-command".

Style and influences

Tartakovsky's former classmates McCracken and Rudish helped him design "Changes". This pilot was revised to create a second cut, as Tartakovsky felt utterly dissatisfied with the score, the sound effects, and the entire second half, which he chose to redo entirely. After seeing the revision, producer Fred Seibert felt convinced that the concept for ''Dexter's Laboratory'' could be successful. Soon afterward, Tartakovsky helped McCracken create his own short film for ''World Premiere Toons'', which would eventually become the basis for '' The Powerpuff Girls''. After finishing McCracken's project, the group proceeded to work on a second short film for ''Dexter's Laboratory'', titled "The Big Sister". At the time, Tartakovsky was still not anticipating a series greenlight for ''Dexter's Laboratory''. He went on to reminisce that, in those days, he was simply having fun working on short films with his friends. Tartakovsky and McCracken, who had been roommates shortly after college, went on to become regular collaborators on each other's series. Animation historian David Perlmutter noted a symbiosis between the two men, which he felt led to stylistic similarities between ''Dexter's Laboratory'' and ''The Powerpuff Girls''.

Tartakovsky drew inspiration from his experiences as an immigrant growing up in Chicago. He explained that, like Dexter, he had a "very thick accent" as a child—and even though he lived in a diverse neighborhood, children would tease him for this. Speaking with ''The Jewish Journal of Greater Los Angeles'' in 2001, Tartakovsky explained, "When I moved to America, I wanted to fit in and be American...We never tried to be too heavy-handed with ''Dexter's'', but if you look at the underlying themes of the show, it's about a little kid trying to fit in." Tartakovsky noted that when he was a child, he was less confident than the character, telling ''The New York Times'', "The one thing about Dexter, if he doesn't fit in, he'll start his own club. He's not afraid to be an outsider." In developing ''Dexter's Laboratory'', he continued the tradition of making "violent cartoons", explaining that "many people like them because they project themselves in the drawings and they laugh," while following the principles of older Hanna-Barbera cartoons.

Linda Simensky, who served as senior vice-president of Original Animation for Cartoon Network during the production of ''Dexter's Laboratory'', wrote in 2011 that Dexter was designed "to be more of an icon in some ways"; she continued, "his body was short and squat and his design was simple, with a black outline and relatively little detail... Since Tartakovsky knew he was developing ''Dexter'' for television, he purposely limited the design to a degree, designing the nose and mouth, for instance, in a Hanna-Barbera style to animate easily."

This simplistic style was influenced by UPA shorts, as well as by the ''Merrie Melodies'' cartoon '' The Dover Boys at Pimento University''. Simensky noted though, that in contrast to those cartoons, ''Dexter's Laboratory'' is "staged cinematically, rather than flat and close to the screen, to leave space and depth for the action and gags in the lab". Tartakovsky was influenced by Warner Bros. cartoons, Hanna-Barbera, and Japanese anime. Sam Raimi's films '' Evil Dead II'' and ''Army of Darkness'' heavily influenced the series' visual style. Referring to a scene from ''Army of Darkness'' featuring the construction of a robotic hand, McCracken explained, "He artakovskyapplied that sequence to the show all the time, especially when Dexter was building stuff."

Character conception

''Dexter's Laboratory'' has its origins in a drawing of a tall, thin girl dancing next to a short and blocky boy that Tartakovsky made while at CalArts. These two characters would eventually develop into Dee Dee and Dexter respectively, although they went unnamed until Tartakovsky started expanding the concept for Cartoon Network. To further contrast the two characters, Tartakovsky determined that Dee Dee would be artistic, while Dexter would be focused on science. In an interview, Tartakovsky said, "Dee Dee came first. She was really the star of the show to me. She was so much fun. Later on, I started on Dexter and he took over."

The names Dexter and Dee Dee were both found in name books; "Dexter" caught Tartakovsky's attention for sounding scientific, while "Dee Dee" appealed to him because of its uniqueness and because he felt that it complemented that character's two pigtails. Before settling on these options, Tartakovsky had considered titling the series ''Dartmouth and Daisy''. Explaining why he discarded this idea, Tartakovsky said that "Dartmouth doesn't exactly roll off the tongue" and that the name Daisy was already heavily associated with Disney. The title ''Dexter's Laboratory'' was not settled on until around midway through production of the series' pilot episode, "Changes".

The ages of Dexter and Dee Dee are meant to be nebulous. Although Tartakovsky suggested that Dexter is intended to be about six to eight years old and that Dee Dee is "a couple years older", he stressed that he would "never want" to specify Dexter's exact age. Tartakovsky wrote Dexter as a hardworking, unspoiled "Midwest kid" who loves food and explained, "I'm not saying he's from Chicago, but there's a reason he's got his own burrito palace, just like I had growing up in Chicago."

The sibling dynamic in ''Dexter's Laboratory'' was partially modeled on Tartakovsky's relationship with his older brother, Alex. Comparing himself to Dee Dee and Alex, who became a computer engineer, to Dexter, Tartakovsky acknowledged that he was most likely a "pest" to his older brother while they were growing up. Another time, he reminisced that as kids, he and his brother could each be a "pain in the ass" to the other. To illustrate one of the parallels between his childhood and the series, Tartakovsky noted that Alex had kept him from playing with "intricate" toy soldiers in those days, much like Dexter attempts to keep Dee Dee away from his inventions.

Tartakovsky determined that Dexter should have an accent because the character "considers himself a very serious scientist, and all well-known scientists have accents." During one interview, Tartakovsky suggested that viewers should decide for themselves whether or not the character's accent is an affectation, saying that " body knows" whether the character is "pretending to be a German scientist" or is speaking naturally. Although Tartakovsky noted in a separate interview that Dexter's accent is not meant to denote any specific nationality, he revealed in a 2012 Reddit AMA that it was partially inspired by "a funny French accent" done by his college roommate. When Candi Milo took over the role of Dexter in season 3, she had trouble replicating Cavanaugh's performance until she met Tartakovsky and realized Cavanaugh was imitating his Russian accent (albeit some exaggeration).

Original run

''Dexter's Laboratory'' premiered on TNT on April 27, 1996, and the following day on Cartoon Network and TBS. It became the first in a brand of Cartoon Network original cartoons, later including '' Cow and Chicken'', '' I Am Weasel'', '' Johnny Bravo'', ''The Powerpuff Girls'', ''Ed, Edd n Eddy'', and '' Courage the Cowardly Dog'', collectively known as Cartoon Cartoons. A second season was ordered, which premiered on Cartoon Network on July 16, 1997. This season includes "Dexter and Computress Get Mandark!", an episode created by six-year-old Long Island resident Tyler Samuel Lee, who submitted his idea to Tartakovsky as an audiotape. Lee's recorded narration is used in the episode, and Tartakovsky (who often received letters and comments from other fans) said that Lee had "a great understanding of the show and genuinely captured the imaginative kid perspective we're always striving for." Composers Thomas Chase, Steve Rucker, and Gary Lionelli provided the musical score for the series.

''Dexter's Laboratory'' went on hiatus on June 15, 1998, after two seasons, with season 2 lasting 39 episodes. The series finale was initially intended to be "Last But Not Beast", which differed from the format of other episodes, in that it was a single 25-minute episode, rather than a collection of shorter segments. By this point, Tartakovsky was exhausted. His focus on the series had cost him two relationships, and he went on to joke that the process of running ''Dexter's Laboratory'' was like "giving birth to ten children." After putting the series on hiatus, Tartakovsky became a supervising producer on colleague Craig McCracken's series, ''The Powerpuff Girls''; he directed episodes of that series and worked on '' The Powerpuff Girls Movie.'' After the movie, McCracken went on to create '' Foster's Home for Imaginary Friends'' for Cartoon Network. Both Hartman and MacFarlane left Cartoon Network altogether at this point; the former went on to create ''The Fairly OddParents'' and '' Danny Phantom'' for Nickelodeon while the latter went on to create ''Family Guy'' for Fox respectively.

In 1999, Tartakovsky returned to direct ''Dexter's Laboratory: Ego Trip'', an hour-long television movie. It was his last ''Dexter's Laboratory'' production to be involved with and was intended to be its conclusion. ''Ego Trip'' was hand-animated, though character and setting designs were subtly revised. Its plot follows Dexter on a quest through time to discover his future triumphs. It premiered on December 10, 1999, at 7:00 PM with a repeat broadcast on January 1, 2000, at 12:00 AM.

Revival

On February 21, 2001, Cartoon Network issued a press release stating that ''Dexter's Laboratory'' had been revived for a 13-episode third season. The series was given a new production team at Cartoon Network Studios, and Chris Savino took over the role of creative director from Tartakovsky, who at the time was immersed in launching his next series, '' Samurai Jack''. During season four of ''Dexter's Laboratory'', Savino was promoted to producer giving him further control of the series, including the budget. Revival episodes featured revised visual designs and sound effects, recast voice actors, and a transition from traditional cel animation, which was used until ''Ego Trip'', to digital ink and paint, which was used permanently beginning with season three's premiere.

Christine Cavanaugh voiced Dexter for early episodes of season three, but she retired from voice acting in 2001 for personal reasons. She was replaced by Candi Milo. Allison Moore, a college friend of Tartakovsky, was cast as Dee Dee. Moore's role was later recast with Kat Cressida. In season three, Moore briefly returned to voice Dee Dee before Cressida again assumed her role for season four. Character redesigns were handled with the help of one of Dexter's original model designers, Chris Battle, known individually for acting as character designer for Nickelodeon's ''Aaahh!!! Real Monsters'' and Cartoon Network's ''The Powerpuff Girls''. Aaron Springer and Chris Reccardi are credited on the writing staff, as is ''Family Guy'' creator Seth MacFarlane.

In 2023, Tartakovsky said he was uninterested in attempting to reboot ''Dexter's Laboratory'' due to Cavanaugh's death in 2014, as well as the "overabundance" of recent reboots of cartoons.

Episodes

''Dexter's Laboratory'' broadcast 78 half-hour episodes over 4 seasons during its 7-year run. Four pilot shorts were produced for ''What a Cartoon!'' that aired from 1995 to 1996, and were reconnected into season 1 in later airings. Fifty-two episodes were produced from 1996 to 1998, followed by ''Ego Trip'' in 1999.

Another 26 episodes were produced and broadcast from 2001 to 2003. "Chicken Scratch" debuted theatrically with ''The Powerpuff Girls Movie'' in 2002, and was later broadcast in season four.

Broadcast

''Dexter's Laboratory'' premiered on February 26, 1995, on Cartoon Network as part of ''What a Cartoon!''. On October 8, 2000, Cartoon Network aired the "Favorite Dexters" marathon from 12 PM to 7 PM Eastern. On December 31, 2000, Cartoon Network aired its "New Year's Bash" marathon featuring ''Dexter's Laboratory'' among other programs. On November 18, 2001, it broadcast a 12-hour "Dexter Goes Global" marathon in 96 countries and 12 languages. This marathon featured fan-selected episodes of ''Dexter's Laboratory'' and culminated by premiering two new episodes of season 3.

From 2005 to 2008, ''Dexter's Laboratory'' was rerun in segments on ''The Cartoon Cartoon Show'' with other Cartoon Cartoons from that era. From 2012 to 2014, it returned in reruns on the revived block, ''Cartoon Planet''.

From January 16, 2006, to June 7, 2021, ''Dexter's Laboratory'' aired reruns on Boomerang (TV network), Boomerang.

Cartoon Network (Canadian TV channel), Cartoon Network has aired reruns in Canada since its launch on July 4, 2012. This launch was commemorated by parent network Teletoon, which aired Cartoon Network-related programming blocks and promotions in weeks leading up to it, including episodes of ''Dexter's Laboratory''.

''Dexter's Laboratory'' currently airs in reruns on Checkered Past (TV programming block), Checkered Past on Adult Swim.

Controversial episodes

"Dial M for Monkey: Barbequor", a season 1 episode from 1996, was removed from rotation sometime after its original premiere in the United States with no official reason given (although this has been unofficially attributed to the episode's inclusion of a stereotypical depiction of a homosexual male character). In later broadcasts and on its Season 1 DVD (Region 1), "Barbequor" has been replaced with "Dexter's Lab: A Story", an episode from season 2.

"Rude Removal", a season 2 episode, was produced but not aired. It involves Dexter creating a "rude removal system" to diminish Dee Dee and Dexter's rudeness that instead creates highly rude clones of both siblings. "Rude Removal" was only shown during certain animation festivals and was never aired on television due to characters profanity, swearing, even though all swear words are censored. Tartakovsky commented that "Broadcast Standards and Practices, standards didn't like it." Linda Simensky, then-vice president of original programming for Cartoon Network, said "I still think it's very funny. It probably would air better late at night." Michelle Klein-Häss of ''Animation World Network'' called the episode "hilarious" after viewing it at the 1998 World Animation Celebration, although she predicted that it would "never be shown on television".

In October 2012, Genndy Tartakovsky was asked about "Rude Removal" during an AMA on Reddit, and he replied "Next time I do a public appearance I'll bring it with me!" Adult Swim later asked fans on Twitter if interest still existed with it, and fan response was "overwhelming". "Rude Removal" was finally uploaded on Adult Swim's official YouTube account on January 22, 2013.

Reception

''Dexter's Laboratory'' was Cartoon Network's highest-rated original series in 1996 and 1997. Cartoon Network viewers voted the series as "Toon of the Year" in 1996. Internationally, it garnered a special mention for best script at the 1997 Cartoons on the Bay animation festival in Italy. From 1998 to 2000, a Dexter balloon was featured in Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade alongside other iconic characters, including the titular piglet from ''Babe (film), Babe'' whom Christine Cavanaugh voiced. The series was part of Cartoon Network's 20% ratings surge during mid-1999. On July 7, 2000, the series was the network's highest-rated original telecast among households (3.1), kids 2–11 (7.8), and kids 6–11 (8.4), with a delivery of almost 2 million homes. On July 31, 2001, it scored the highest household rating (2.9) and delivery (2,166,000 homes) for a Cartoon Network telecast for that year. Along with ''The Powerpuff Girls'', ''Dexter's Laboratory'' expanded the network's viewership to 72 million, and the series became one of the network's highest-rated original series of 2002.

Critical reception

''Dexter's Laboratory'', particularly its first two original seasons, received critical acclaim and became one of Cartoon Network's most successful original series. Betty Cohen, then Cartoon Network's president, called it one of her favorite animated programs, stating, "It shows little guys can be powerful." Rapper Coolio stated in an August 2002 ''Billboard (magazine), Billboard'' interview that he is a fan of the series, stating, "I watch a lot of cartoons because I have kids. I actually watch more cartoons than movies."

Shortly after the premiere of its first season, ''Dexter's Laboratory'' was hailed as one of the best new series on Cartoon Network by Ted Cox of the ''Daily Herald (Arlington Heights, Illinois), Daily Herald''. In the lead up to its second season, ''Dexter's Laboratory'' was called the most imaginative series on Cartoon Network by Nancy McAlister of ''The Florida Times-Union''. Although McAlister critiqued the gender role, gender stereotyping of Dexter's parents, she acknowledged that she was only applying such scrutiny to the series because ''Dexter's Laboratory'' had helped convince her that "viewers should take animated programming seriously".

In 1997, Bill Ward of the ''Minnesota Star Tribune'' named ''Dexter's Laboratory'' to his Critic's Choice list, recommending it for the "young of all ages". In 2012, ''Entertainment Weekly'' ranked ''Dexter's Laboratory'' fourth in its list of "10 Best Cartoon Network Shows". In 2009, ''Dexter's Laboratory'' was named 72nd best animated series by ''IGN'', whose editors remarked, "Aimed at and immediately accessible to children, ''Dexter's Laboratory'' was part of a new generation of animated series that played on two levels, simultaneously fun for both kids and adults." In his 2015 book ''Animation: A World History Volume III: Contemporary Times'', Giannalberto Bendazzi called ''Dexter's Laboratory'' "visually and verbally innovative". He considered the series to be a groundbreaking work of pop art, likening its visual style to both street art and the designs of Takashi Murakami.

David Perlmutter wrote in his 2018 book, ''The Encyclopedia of American Animated Television Shows'', that all three segments of ''Dexter's Laboratory'' (the main scenario, along with ''Dial M for Monkey'' and ''The Justice Friends'') elevate stereotypical ideas through an approach that contains "verve and originality". Perlmutter called the series more "complex" than it first seems. He praised the staging of action sequences throughout the series and wrote that ''Dexter's Laboratory'' is "much more effective (and funny) than it would have been under a director less committed to the project [than Tartakovsky]."

Legacy

As affirmed by Giannalberto Bendazzi in ''Animation: A World History Volume III'', ''Dexter's Laboratory'', along with Craig McCracken's ''The Powerpuff Girls'', helped define the style of Cartoon Network, both for being works "in which lines and colour are predominant", and for underlining their graphic aspect through limited animation. Television critic Robert Lloyd claimed that both artists were "at the forefront of a second wave of innovative, creator-driven television animation, whose first wave began in the 1990s with the likes of Ralph Bakshi's ''Mighty Mouse: The New Adventures'' and John Kricfalusi's ''The Ren & Stimpy Show''." Tartakovsky reflected on this period in 2024, saying that he and his colleagues took full advantage of the freedom provided by the still-new Cartoon Network, but that the level of trust on young artists was "pretty much gone" 30 years later.

The show has been credited for kick-starting the channel's ascent and launching Tartakovsky's career, which later gave way to ''Samurai Jack'' and ''Star Wars: Clone Wars (2003 TV series), Star Wars: Clone Wars''. To this, ''Gizmodo'' contributor Beth Elderkin added: "Since then, he's become a staple in children's and adult animation, responsible for everything from the ''Hotel Transylvania'' series to the powerful (and ultra-violent) ''Primal (TV series), Primal''." ''New York (magazine)#Vulture, Vulture'' called the first pilot episode "a testament to Tartakovsky's talent and commitment as a filmmaker and a proof of concept for the ''What a Cartoon!'' anthology format." For a while, the show's simplistic look was adopted by other American cartoons; in a 2021 interview with ''Syfy Wire'', animator Butch Hartman said, "When I started making ''Fairly OddParents'', I took cues from what Genndy did in terms of simplifying the designs and using bold colors and simple shapes."

''Dexter's Laboratory'' has been subject to scholarly works that include a study on post-9/11 America by Media International Australia and a publication about how Mexicans, Mexican children react to references in the series by ''Comunicar''.

Awards and nominations

Merchandise

Home media

''Dexter's Laboratory'' first appeared in home media as a "bonus toon" on the ''Jonny Quest - Race Bannon in Army of One'' VHS and later in a limited-run, complete series ''Dexter's Laboratory'' DVD-Video, DVD contest prize, both of which became available in 1999. Dedicated, wide-release home media for the series began with the ''Dexter's Laboratory: Volume 1'' VHS in the United Kingdom in 2000 and the ''Dexter's Laboratory: Greatest Adventures'' VHS in North America in 2001. The made-for-television movie ''Ego Trip'' was released exclusively on VHS in North America in 2000 and in the United Kingdom in 2001. Episodes from the series have been included as extra content in other Cartoon Network series' home media releases or as part of Cartoon Network's compilation DVDs. ''Cartoon Network Racing'', a PlayStation 2 video game, contains the episodes "Dexter's Rival" and "Mandarker" as unlockable extras.

Warner Bros. Animation stated in a 2006 interview that they were "in conversations with Cartoon Network" for DVD collections of cartoons, among which was ''Dexter's Laboratory''. Madman Entertainment released season 1 and part of season 2 in DVD region code#4, Region 4 in 2008. A Region 1 release of season 1 was released by Warner Bros. Home Entertainment, Warner Home Video on October 12, 2010. It was the third official release of a Cartoon Network series on DVD under the "Cartoon Network Hall of Fame" label. ''Dexter's Laboratory: The Complete Series'' was released on DVD in North America on June 25, 2024, by Warner Bros. Discovery Home Entertainment and includes all episodes along with the television film ''Ego Trip'' except for "Dial M for Monkey: Barbequor" and "Rude Removal."

Every episode, except for the television film ''Ego Trip'' and the banned "Rude Removal" episode, became available on iTunes in 2010. "Rude Removal" later became available on Adult Swim's official YouTube channel on January 22, 2013. ''Dexter's Laboratory'' was available on Netflix from 2010 until March 30, 2015, and on Hulu beginning on May 1, 2015. Max (streaming service), HBO Max carried the series from May 2020 until May 10, 2023. Amazon Prime Video began streaming the series on December 30, 2022.

Music releases

''Dexter's Laboratory'' has spawned two music albums: ''The Musical Time Machine'' and ''Dexter's Laboratory: The Hip-Hop Experiment, The Hip-Hop Experiment''. Three ''Dexter's Laboratory'' tracks are featured on Cartoon Network's 1999 compilation album ''Cartoon Medley''.

''The Musical Time Machine'' is a soundtrack album released on May 19, 1998, on Compact disc, CD and Cassette tape, cassette through Atlantic Records. It contains five songs taken from the series and one track exclusive to the album. Stephen Thomas Erlewine of AllMusic gave the album a positive review, writing, "It won't win any new fans, but those that love the show will get a kick out of this disc."

''The Hip-Hop Experiment'' is a compilation album released on August 20, 2002, on CD and limited-edition green vinyl record through Kid Rhino and Atlantic Records. It features various hip-hop music artists and released alongside three music videos for "Back to the Lab" by Prince Paul (producer), Prince Paul, "Dexter (What's His Name?)" by Coolio, and "Secrets" by will.i.am. A fourth music video by They Might Be Giants for "Dee Dee and Dexter" was produced by Klasky Csupo. Upon Cartoon Network's request for the artist to write an original song for ''Dexter's Laboratory: The Hip-Hop Experiment'', rapper Coolio, who provided the track "Dexter (What's His Name?)", stated, "I didn't really know what I wanted to do at first, but I knew I wanted it to be positive and lively."

Publications

Books set in ''Dexter's Laboratory'' were released by Scholastic Corporation, Scholastic and Little Golden Books.

Characters from ''Dexter's Laboratory'' are featured in a 150,000-print magazine called ''Cartoon Network'', published by Burghley Publishing and released in the United Kingdom on August 27, 1998.

DC Comics printed four comic book volumes featuring ''Dexter's Laboratory''. Characters from the series first appear in ''Cartoon Network Presents'', a 24-issue volume showcasing Cartoon Network's premiere animated programming, which was produced from 1997 to 1999. In 1999, DC gave ''Dexter's Laboratory'' its own 34-issue comic volume, which ran until 2003. DC's ''Cartoon Cartoons'' comic book, which ran from 2001 to 2004, frequently includes ''Dexter's Laboratory'' stories. This was superseded by ''Cartoon Network Block Party'', which ran from 2004 to 2009.

On February 25, 2013, IDW Publishing announced a partnership with Cartoon Network to produce comics based on its properties, which included ''Dexter's Laboratory''. Its first issue was released on April 30, 2014.

Toys and promotions

Wendy's promoted ''Dexter's Laboratory'' with five collectible toys in their kids' meals from mid-October to November 23, 1997. Discovery Zone sponsored Cartoon Network's eight-week-long "Dexter's Duplication Summer" in 1998 to promote the series' new schedule. NASCAR's 1999 "Wacky Racing Team" vehicle driven by Jerry Nadeau in the Daytona 500 featured ''Dexter's Laboratory'' characters on its paint. A Subway (restaurant), Subway promotion supported by Publicis & Hal Riney of Chicago lasted from August 23 to October 3, 1999, called "Dexter's Super Computer Giveaway", in which a computer, monitor, games, software, and an exclusive set of ''Dexter's Laboratory'' DVDs were given out as prizes. Subway promoted ''Dexter's Laboratory'' once again from April 1 to May 15, 2002, with four kids' meal toys.

Dairy Queen sold six kids' meal toys during an April 2001 promotion that was financed by a $3 million advertising and marketing budget. That month, Perfetti Van Melle and Cartoon Network launched the "Out of Control" promotion, which included on-air marketing and a sweepstakes to win an "Air Dextron" entertainment center. The following April, a similar promotion featured ''Dexter's Laboratory''-themed Airheads (candy), Airheads packs and an online sweepstakes. Trendmasters released a series of ''Dexter's Laboratory'' figures and playsets in 2001. ''Race to the Brainergizer'' and ''The Incredible Invention Versus Dee Dee'', two board games, were released by Pressman Toy Corporation in 2001.

Burger King sponsored ''Dexter's Laboratory'' toys beginning in September 2003 with kids' meals during a larger promotion featuring online games, Cartoon Orbit codes, and new episodes. Kellogg's cereal boxes in the United Kingdom gave away the characters of Dexter and Dee Dee were as part of the Cartoon Network Wobble Heads in 2003. A trading card series was published by Artbox Entertainment.

Video games

Six ''Dexter's Laboratory'' video games have been released: ''Dexter's Laboratory: Robot Rampage, Robot Rampage'' for the Nintendo Game Boy Color, ''Chess Challenge'' and ''Dexter's Laboratory: Deesaster Strikes!, Deesaster Strikes!'' for the Nintendo Game Boy Advance, ''Dexter's Laboratory: Mandark's Lab?, Mandark's Lab?'' for the Sony PlayStation (console), PlayStation, ''Dexter's Laboratory: Science Ain't Fair'' for personal computer, PC, and ''Dexter's Laboratory: Security Alert!'' for mobile phones.

Similar to ''Battle Chess'', ''Chess Challenge'' is a chess video game that triggers battle animations each time an overtaking move occurs. Each capture is accompanied by the sequences set in Dexter's home depicting the piece's defeat. Those scenes are set in Dexter's home with magic attacks and Dee Dee's toys having an appearance. The completion of the puzzles will unlock certain game modes, including a two-player mode.

A ''Dexter's Laboratory'' combat-style action video game on PlayStation 2 and Nintendo GameCube was set to be developed by n-Space, published by BAM! Entertainment, and distributed in Europe by Acclaim Entertainment for a 2004 release, but it was canceled. On February 15, 2005, Midway Games announced plans to develop and produce a new ''Dexter's Laboratory'' video game for multiple consoles, but it was never published.

Dexter, Mandark, Dee Dee, Dexter's computer, and Major Glory, as well as items, areas, and inventions are featured in the Massively multiplayer online role-playing game, MMORPG ''FusionFall''. ''Dexter's Laboratory'' characters are featured in ''Cartoon Network Racing'' and ''Cartoon Network: Punch Time Explosion''. ''Punch Time Explosion'' features different voice talent for Dexter (Tara Strong instead of Christine Cavanaugh or Candi Milo) and Monkey (Fred Tatasciore instead of Frank Welker). Elements from ''Dexter's Laboratory'' are featured in the 2024 Warner Bros. game ''MultiVersus''.

See also

* List of fictional scientists and engineers
* List of works produced by Hanna-Barbera Productions
* List of Hanna-Barbera characters

Notes

References

Further reading

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External links

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{{Good article

Dexter's Laboratory,
1990s American animated comedy television series
1990s American children's comedy television series
1990s American comic science fiction television series
1996 American animated television series debuts
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2000s American children's comedy television series
2000s American comic science fiction television series
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American children's animated comic science fiction television series
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Animated television series about children
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Annie Award–winning television shows
Cartoon Cartoons
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Television series by Cartoon Network Studios
Television series by Rough Draft Studios
Elementary school television series
American English-language television shows
Television shows set in laboratories
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Television series by Hanna-Barbera
Best Animated Short Subject Annie Award winners
Television series created by Genndy Tartakovsky
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